Paradise Valley Community College’s Education and Music departments are teaming up to provide a meaningful, hands-on learning experience for Bachelor of Arts in Elementary Education (BAEE) students. Now in its fourth year, this unique partnership, led by Education Program Director Dr. Amy Boniface and PVCC Music faculty member Bradford Knights, continues to show how the arts can elevate teacher preparation and inspire future educators to embrace creativity in the classroom.
Earlier this semester, Knights visited Dr. Boniface’s EDU204 Fine Arts in Education course as a guest artist, leading an energetic and engaging session on songwriting and music. He guided students through the basics of music terminology and modeled the fundamentals of writing a song from the ground up.
“I value Dr. Boniface and her students and the opportunity to collaborate in the continuing pursuit of bringing the best experience to our students,” Knights said, emphasizing the spirit of partnership that has fueled the project over multiple semesters.
Following his presentation, Knights’ songwriting students paired up with education students to co-write original songs tied to school-based content. The collaboration culminated into performances of the original songs created by each group.
Dr. Boniface noted how powerful it was to watch students step into a new space, both literally and figuratively. She explained that this partnership “continues to show our BAEE candidates that integrating the arts into teaching not only strengthens content understanding but also empowers them to see themselves as creative educators.”
This semester also included a special contribution from Mishy Katz, a former PVCC music student and colleague of Knights, who shared an original song and worked side-by-side with students as they crafted their own pieces. “I really enjoyed working with the students and sharing the process and passion, and the tools and tricks I have learned and used,” Katz said.
BAEE Students Creative Breakthrough
Student Zoe Ford described the experience as “a fun and hands-on way for us to learn more about music and what integrating music into our classrooms can look like.” Ford noted how learning about pitch, timbre, rhythm, and beat helped her understand how children’s songs are structured and why they are effective.
“I really enjoyed learning about how repetition and interactive parts make children’s songs more engaging and memorable. Writing our own children’s song with support from the staff and students helped me understand how music can be both creative and purposeful in teaching. As a future educator, I plan to use music and songwriting in my classroom to support learning, build community, and make lessons more exciting and interactive.”
The collaboration was one of the highlights of the semester for BAEE student Madilyn Selyna as well, saying, “I really enjoyed working with (my music partner) on making a short song. It was also really fun because the more we got into the song, the more I found myself connecting this to education and how it could be used within lessons. It was definitely an eye-opening experience to understand the reason behind using music in the classroom.”
Dr. Boniface echoed her students’ reflections, noting that experiences like these help future teachers build confidence and expand their understanding of what teaching can look like. “When education and music students come together to co-create, our candidates experience firsthand how interdisciplinary work enriches the classroom and elevates learning for everyone,” she said. Watching them write and perform original songs reaffirmed for her “how powerful the arts can be in helping future teachers build confidence, engage learners, and bring content to life.”
As part of their coursework, students recorded their final songs on GoReact and submitted written reflections documenting what they learned. But for many, the true value of the collaboration went far beyond the assignment. “This experience helps our teacher candidates realize that they can write music, and that creative expression can deepen student learning in meaningful, memorable ways,” Boniface added.
The partnership between PVCC’s Education and Music Departments continues to grow, demonstrating the lasting impact of arts-integrated learning. By empowering teacher candidates to embrace creativity, collaboration, and new ways of thinking, PVCC continues to prepare graduates who are ready to inspire the next generation of learners.
To learn more about PVCC’s BAEE, visit the website or contact the Education team directly at [email protected]. For more information about PVCC’s music program, click here. Visit @pvccsongwriting on Instagram to contact Knights directly or at [email protected].